- Date
- May 10, 1992, 18:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lusby, MD
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N177RDCessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920510013989A
- Case key
- 11724
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A failure of the carburetor resulting in a loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During initial climb, the engine backfired and lost partial power, and the airplane crashed into wooded terrain about 250 ft beyond the end of the runway. The carburetor was disassembled, and all components were accounted for except the primary venturi. Two of the three legs which retains the venturi were separated, the third was completely missing. Visual examination of the remaining portions of the two separated legs revealed a melted and resolidified appearance. One leg piece was removed from the throttle body, ultrasonically cleaned in acetone, and subjected to x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (eds) in areas that had a fresh metal appearance. This analysis generated spectra with large zinc peaks and a much smaller peak for aluminum.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N177RD
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700419
- Airframe hours
- 1,950
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dennis Construction Inc.
- Registered owner
- Dennis Construction Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1992 · 30 hours before
- Airport
- MD50 · Chesapeake Ranch Airstrip, runway 31, 2,500 × 50 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 5 in this make and model · 159 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NHK, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.